Albaik ( ar, البيك, and stylized in all caps) is a Saudi
fast food restaurant
A fast-food restaurant, also known as a quick-service restaurant (QSR) within the industry, is a specific type of restaurant that serves fast-food cuisine and has minimal table service. The food served in fast-food restaurants is typically ...
chain headquartered in Jeddah, Hejaz that primarily sells
broasted and fried chicken with a variety of sauces. It is Saudi Arabia's largest restaurant chain. Albaik currently has a trade name in 80 countries.
The chain was founded by Shakour Abu Ghazalah, a Saudi entrepreneur, who began selling fried chicken in 1974.
The restaurant was located on Old Airport Road in Jeddah.
Albaik was registered as a trademark in Saudi Arabia in 1986. In December 2020, Albaik opened two branches in Bahrain, marking the first time the chain expanded outside of Saudi Arabia. Albaik popularized chicken in the fast-food industry, especially in the Muslim world, since it sells
Halal
''Halal'' (; ar, حلال, ) is an Arabic word that translates to "permissible" in English. In the Quran, the word ''halal'' is contrasted with '' haram'' (forbidden). This binary opposition was elaborated into a more complex classification k ...
(permissible) food.
Albaik has more than 40 branches in Jeddah where it is headquartered: ten in
Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow v ...
, eight in
Medina
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...
, two in
Buraydah
Buraidah ( ar, بريدة ') is the capital and largest city of Al-Qassim Region in north-central Saudi Arabia in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula. Buraydah lies equidistant from the Red Sea to the west and Persian Gulf to the east. Its known fo ...
, one in
Unaizah
Unaizah ( ar, عنيزة ) or officially The Governorate of Unaizah (also spelled Onaizah, Onizah, or Unayzah; ar, محافظة عنيزة ) is a Saudi Arabian city in the Al Qassim Province. It lies south of the province capital Buraydah and ...
, one in
Taif
Taif ( ar, , translit=aṭ-Ṭāʾif, lit=The circulated or encircled, ) is a city and governorate in the Makkan Region of Saudi Arabia. Located at an elevation of in the slopes of the Hijaz Mountains, which themselves are part of the Sarat M ...
, one in
Yanbu
Yanbu ( ar, ينبع, lit=Spring, translit=Yanbu'), also known simply as Yambu or Yenbo, is a city in the Al Madinah Province of western Saudi Arabia. It is approximately 300 kilometers northwest of Jeddah (at ). The population is 222,360 (2 ...
, one in
Riyadh
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the ...
, one in
Al Qunfudhah
Al Qunfudhah (), also known as Kunfuda, is a Saudi city in the Tihamah region on the coast of the Red Sea. Its population is the fourth largest in Makkah Province, the area of the governate is estimated at 5,195 km², which occupies about 3.65% ...
, one in
Al Lith, and one in
Al-Kharj
Kharj ( ar, الخرج) is a governorate in central Saudi Arabia. It is one of the important governorates in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is located in the southeast of the capital Riyadh, within an area of 19,790 km2 ~ 4,890,215.5 acres, ...
.
[List of Albaik locations](_blank)
/ref> Recently, Albaik started expanding further into the central region of Saudi Arabia with two branches opened in Buraidah
Buraidah ( ar, بريدة ') is the capital and largest city of Al-Qassim Region in north-central Saudi Arabia in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula. Buraydah lies equidistant from the Red Sea to the west and Persian Gulf to the east. Its known fo ...
, and one in Abha
Abha ( ar, أَبْهَا, ') is the capital of 'Asir Region in Saudi Arabia, with a population of 1,093,705 as of 2021. It is situated above sea level in the fertile Asir Mountains of south-western Saudi Arabia, near Asir National Park. Abh ...
and further branches planned for the city, in addition to other main cities in the region. This marked the first time the chain has expanded outside its main service area in Saudi Arabia's western provinces. Albaik was also introduced in Saudi Arabia's South Province, in the city of Jizan
Jazan ( ar, جازان, Jāzān), also spelled ''Jizan'' ( ar, جيزان, Jīzān), ''Gizan'' or ''Gazan'', is a port city and the capital of Jizan Region, which lies in the southwest corner of Saudi Arabia and directly north of the border with ...
in 2016. As of 2019, Albaik is constructing its new branch in Al Baha. Albaik currently has over 120 locations.
History
In September 1974, a Saudi entrepreneur Shakour Abu Ghazalah, renovated an old warehouse
A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the outskirts of citie ...
he was renting into Saudi Arabia's first pressure fried chicken restaurant and later opened it. The restaurant was located on Old Airport Road in Jeddah
Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...
. Albaik was registered as a trademark in Saudi Arabia in 1986.
The first Albaik restaurant was opened in Mecca in 1990. Albaik then began expansion by building three seasonal locations in Mina in 1998 and served pilgrims during Hajj
The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried o ...
. The company expanded to Medina in 2001. They introduced a limited menu food court concept named Albaik Express in 2002 in Diyafa Mall in Mecca. They opened the world's largest quick-service restaurant kitchen in Mina as a seasonal restaurant to serve pilgrims during Hajj in 2006. The same year, they opened a location in Yanbu City. In 2013, they opened their first express restaurant at a Sasco Petrol station on the highway road from Medina to Jeddah.
Their first restaurant out of Hejaz was in Buraydah
Buraidah ( ar, بريدة ') is the capital and largest city of Al-Qassim Region in north-central Saudi Arabia in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula. Buraydah lies equidistant from the Red Sea to the west and Persian Gulf to the east. Its known fo ...
, Qaseem in 2015, expanding their customer's range. They opened their first branches in Jizan
Jazan ( ar, جازان, Jāzān), also spelled ''Jizan'' ( ar, جيزان, Jīzān), ''Gizan'' or ''Gazan'', is a port city and the capital of Jizan Region, which lies in the southwest corner of Saudi Arabia and directly north of the border with ...
and Riyadh
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the ...
in the year 2016 and 2018 respectively. In 2019, they opened three branches in Dammam
Dammam ( ar, الدمّام ') is the fifth-most populous city in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca, and Medina. It is the capital of the Eastern Province. With a total population of 1,252,523 as of 2020. The judicial and administrative ...
, Eastern Province, with the main one located in King Fahd International Airport
King Fahd International Airport ( ar, مطار الملك فهد الدولي; KFIA) , also known as Dammam International Airport or simply Dammam Airport or King Fahd Airport, is the international airport serving Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The airp ...
and the other two in the Abdullah Fuad and Al Manar districts. On June 16, 2021, Albaik opened its first branch in The Dubai Mall
The Dubai Mall ( ar, دبي مول "Dubai Mall") is a shopping mall in Dubai. It is the second largest mall in the world after the Iran Mall by total land area, and the 26th-largest shopping mall in the world by gross leasable area, tying with ...
, bringing its range of dishes to the United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (Middle East, The Middle East). It is ...
for the first time. They have since opened three more branches in the UAE, with another currently under construction.
A food processing company was inaugurated for Aquat Food Industries - a sister company of Albaik and the main producer and supplier of its menu in 2000, effectively boosting their sales.
Programs
In 1996, the Young Scientist program was introduced as part of Albaik and Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance bar, temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pembe ...
's corporate social responsibility commitment towards society in association with the Jeddah Science and Technology Center. The House Hero children's education and training program were firstly introduced in 2001. In 2005, "Nazeeh & Wartan" - the Clean Up the World program for Saudi Arabia was introduced with Coca-Cola, in association with the United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...
and Jeddah Science and Technology Center. The rate is around 12 riyals.
Products
The 18 secret herbs and spices recipe was first developed in 1984. Variations of the Albaik chicken was first sold in 1994, with the addition of Harrag, a spicy variation of Albaik's chicken. Seafood was first included on the menu with the introduction of the jumbo shrimp
Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are ref ...
in 1995 and the value shrimp in the following year.
File:ALBAIK® Fish Fillet Meal (5245098802).jpg, A fish fillet meal at Albaik
File:Al Baik broast chicken meal.jpg, An Albaik chicken meal with fries, soft drink and ice cream
See also
* List of fast-food chicken restaurants
This is a list of notable chicken restaurants. This list includes casual dining, fast casual and fast food restaurants which typically specialize in chicken dishes such as fried chicken, chicken and waffles, Chicken sandwiches or chicken and ...
References
Al Baik
is coming to Abu Dhabi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albaik
1974 establishments in Saudi Arabia
Fast-food chains of Saudi Arabia
Regional restaurant chains
Companies based in Jeddah
Restaurants established in 1974
Fast-food poultry restaurants
Saudi Arabian brands